Christmas Traditions in Greece – Int’l Bloggers Club Challenge
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!! Not only is it Christmas, but it…
For those of you visiting for the first time, we are a group of bloggers from all over the world and we get together once a month to share our projects and traditions from each of our countries. This month we are going to focus on Christmas traditions in Greece. Let’s get started because I have lots to share with you.
Christmas season starts with the onset of St Nicholas day on December 6th and continues thru the first day of Christmas, right up to the Epiphany, January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas. It is an ongoing celebration here in Greece.
Santa Claus
Here in Greece we call our Santa, Agios Vasileios, or Vasilis. He is the bringer of gifts and he comes on New Year’s Eve not on Christmas. He would be the Greek equivalent of Saint Nick. A kindly man who helped the poor and needy, he is also a saint and one of the three Holy Hierarchs. Unlike Santa, he is not jolly and plumb but tall and thin, with a black beard.
Of course nowadays, the children don’t think of the saint when they think of presents but of the jolly old man in a suit. For short we call him Ai Basili.
We also have a Saint Nicholas who is the patron saint of the sailors. But we celebrate him on December 6th. In our town that’s a big deal because we are a coastal town with a strong connection to the sea.
So if we don’t open present on Christmas day what do we do? Why we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. We go to church in the morning and then settle down to a feast for lunch, usually Turkey or pork.
In the evening, we visit the homes of the friends and family who are celebrating their name days. In this case it would be Emmanuella, Manolis, Christos, Christina, and Hrisoula. Before the crisis, the tradition was to go out to the Bouzoukia and party the night away. But now we mostly stay home or visit friends.
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The Christmas Tree
In Greece, the Christmas tree did not exist until recently. In years past, it was the sailboat that was decorated with lights. Greece is a nautical country with thousands of miles of coastline and it was only natural that boats took center stage.
However it is with great difficulty that I find decorated boats these days. This one was in a bookstore window.
I had photographed this one last year at a local store. They are so pretty.
Currently, the trees have become a tradition. They’re not as prevalant as in other countries but you will find one, even if it’s small, in most homes. And they are prominently displayed in the town squares.
Goblins
The Goblins or Kalikantzari are ugly elves that live deep in the earth. They are very jealous of us earth folks and spend all the year witling away at the tree that is holding up the earth. On Christmas Eve, they climb up to the earth because they are sure that the earth will topple over and they don’t want to get trampled. This is also the beginning of winter solstice when the sun does not move.
And so for the 12 days of Christmas they create havoc by going into people’s houses through the chimney, stealing food, and making touble. They are not evil but mischievous and stupid. In the villages, fireplaces are lit to keep them away. Another way to deter them is to place a colander at the front of the house. They will spend the whole night counting the holes and when morning arrives they’ll hide because they hate the sunlight.
On January 6th the sun starts to move again and so they must go into hiding. Once below they see that the Earth tree has regrown and they will start from the beginning to cut it down again.
On January 6th, the Epiphany, the priests come into the houses and bless them thus ridding them of any evil.
The Opening of Presents
In Greece the presents are opened on New Year’s Day. Since Saint Vasilis is our “Santa Claus” it is only natural that he should bring the gifts on the day we celebrate him.
Now this for me was a bit of a snag. You all know I was raised in the US and have alwasys opened the gifts on Christmas Day. I have many fond memories of staying up half the night gift wrapping presents for family. It just seems unnatural to me to have Christmas without presents. When we moved to Greece I simply stayed with this tradition. It also gave the kids more time to play with their toys before going back to school.
Christmas Carols
The Christmas Carols or Kalanta have a special place in Greek life. On the day before Christmas, the children get up early and with a “trigono” or Triangle go around the neighborhood singing the Kalanta. Tradition dictates that they ask before singing. The children are given money or sweets in return for their efforts.
We have many Kalanta, one for each holiday. They are traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and on the eve of the Epiphany or Day of the Lights (January 6th). In addition, each region in Greece has its own version of the Kalanta, sung with a topical flavor. Kalanta singing dates back to Ancient Greece. How’s that for longevity?
Desserts and Sweets
Melomakarona are cookies that are drenched in a honey syrup! My friend Katerina of Culinary Flavors has a great recipe for this most delectable of treats.
We also have a Christopsomo which is a bread with a cross carved into the top crust before it is baked. For New Year’s we have the Vasilopita cake. A coin is inserted into the cake prior to baking. Once the cake is cut, the person who gets the coin will have good luck for the rest of the year.
The Epiphany
The Epiphany on January 6th marks the end of Christmas celebrations. On this day, the day of Christ’s baptism, after the church ceremony is over, everyone goes to the shore and the priest throws a cross into the sea. The most vigorous of young men will dive in to retrieve the cross and be blessed by the priest. This is not as bad as it seems since waters are not that cold here in Greece.
I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
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A sailboat decorated instead of a tree? ha! Not that is interesting! Guess that would be a lot of fun too 🙂
I love to see what everyone is making in different parts of the world. This is such a refreshing idea my dear friend.
Hugs
Maria
Mary! So many traditions. Astounded that Christmas isn’t celebrated on Christmas, but instead NYear’s Eve. And Santa is so different. And you decorate boats instead of trees! All so interesting!
May you have a happy and blessed Christmas Mary!
I throughly enjoyed this post. I must say I wanted to reach in and have a cookie or two. They look so good. It was interesting to read about the traditions. There is a city close to me called Tarpon Springs and it is a big event to watch the teenagers dive for the cross for the annual Epiphany celebration. Does the church hold the same event in your town?
It is interesting to learn about Christmas in Greece and see the many differences and similarities. I love the idea of decorating boats! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I didn’t know that about gifts on New Year. I can see how that would be a real change from what we are used to
Mollyxxx
Thank you so much for sharing all these holiday celebrations. It is so interesting to hear all the different ways every one celebrates the holidays.
Wow, what an absolutely wonderful way to celebrate Christmas through your international blogging group! I have never been to Greece, and if God is willing, I can cross it off of my (very long) travel bucket list. I enjoyed experiencing Christmas through your post! Wishing you a most joyful “Buon Natale” (that’s “Merry Christmas” in my native Italian language).
Baci e’ un abbraccio,
Roz
How interesting to hear about Christmas traditions in Greece. It would feel really odd not doing presents on Christmas… though maybe kind of nice too!
It is fascinating to learn about different Christmas Traditions and I loved reading this Mary
Really loved the way you described everything! Thanks for spreading out the word of Greek Holidays! Merry Christmas!
Mary, this is so cool. I had no idea that Greece celebrated in this way. I love how drawn out it is, over a month, and that there are so many stories and so much symbolism to the Holiday Season.
The mischievous elf story is fun. I love that they are thwarted each year, and I would be surrounding my house with colanders! LOL
I also like how you have merged your traditions with those of Greece, I hope that you and your family had a wondrous Christmas and have a blessed New Year.